This Fame
by XxXLostLoveGetsFoundXxX
Summary: Dimitri Belikov: famous musician. Rose Hathaway: his high school sweet heart. When Dimitri's fame goes to his head, he makes a fatal mistake, costing him the love of his life. Now he's back in town, determined to get Rose back, but her armor is stronger than ever now that she has more than one heart to protect... Collab with Tatiana Belikova
1. Prologue: Saying Goodbye

_Tatiana Belikova and I are collaborating this story. If you haven't read it already read "Until the End" by her! Its an amazing fanfic that's got me hooked. Read and Review!_

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**Prologue**

**RPOV**

Dimitri was coming back from his tour tonight -it was the last concert for the summer - and I couldn't be much happier. It was 2:58 in the morning, and I was still anxiously awaiting his call.

I had really big news to tell him. At 3:00 am my cell phone rang. Lady Antebellum's sweet voice filled the room.

_Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor._

_Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore._

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind?_

_For me it happens all the time_.

A smile lit up my face because the screen read: Comrade. I picked it up and said, "Dimitri!"

There was no reply for a few moments. "Hello?" I asked.

There was a faint grunt and my love started to speak. "Hey babe!" his voice slurred out. "Oh, man you missed a totally sweet party! But maybe it's a good thing! I feel so good after banging that girl. What's her name? Tasha yes. She was an easy conquest and screamed my name so many times tonight. She was good. But not as good as you! Oh, man, but there are a couple as good!" He chuckled. "Like that one at the last party! Damn, the things she did with her mouth...And the party before that? Threesome! It was totally hot! Too bad you weren't there. But that's okay. You're a bit of a party pooper, aren't ya?"

Even though his words were a bit slurred, I heard every single one perfectly. With every word my heart begin to sink. Shock filled my body.

A sob came out, and I got off of the bed. "Why are you doing this to me?" I ask.

He took no time to reply and said, "I am famous. This fame allows me to do whatever the hell I want. And I. Won't. Get. In. Trouble."

Another sob came out, and I felt tears coming down my face. I found myself on my knees on the floor.

"Don't ever call me again!" I yelled through the phone. As I hit end I heard laughing and one last thing, "Love ya Rosie!"

I threw myself on the bed like a lovesick teenager and cried my eyes out.

That was the first night I cried myself to sleep.

**The Next Day**

**RPOV**

I woke up feeling like shit. My eyes were puffy and my hair was tangled. I need to get out of this apartment. I needed to think.

Why would he do that to me? We've been fighting lately but in the end we still came back to each other.

This time I wouldn't go back to him. I was tired of being the only one throwing myself into this relationship.

I got in the shower and used up the hot water. It's not like Dimitri was going to come in and shower anyways.

After my shower I got dressed in black shorts and a purple shirt that says "Music is my escape."

I started walking towards the park across the street. It was my thinking place. After every fight Dimitri and I have, I always find myself here.

I went and sat on the bench closest to me. I just couldn't process that he would do this to me.

This fame, his fame, is going straight to his head. It's ruining him, and ruining me too.

Looking up I saw the one person that can make my heart beat faster than a bird flaps his wings.

Dimitri. He was coming my way and I got up. When he was halfway to me, a girl practically threw herself in his arms.

From where I am sitting I could only see long black hair. She was all over my Dimitri!

I got off the bench and stalked my way over to them. Now I finally got Lissa's joke.

In this case, what do you call a girl who is angry as hell going towards her destination?

A bitch in pursuit. When I was standing in front of Dimitri the girl just kept talking as if I wasn't there.

"Dimika I had so much fun last night. What do you think of an encore?" the skank said.

Pain filled Dimitri's face. Is it raining? I looked up. Perfect blue skies today. I didn't know I was crying until the tears went down my face.

"Roza," Dimitri said, stepping toward me. I stepped back. That pain filled expression came back.

"Dimitri Belikov we are finished. I never want to speak to you," I said, my voice surprisingly calm.

I started to walk away when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Roza please. I love you please don't do this. I promise I will give it all up. Please don't do this," Dimitri said.

Tears ran faster down my face. Did I want to do this? No, but it was best for both of us.

"I'm sorry Dimitri. I love you and I always will, but this time it really is over. It's better for both of us," I said, turning and walking away.

"Tasha just go away," Dimitri said, "I don't want to ever speak to you again."

"What!" she shrieked. "You're leaving me like this because of some skank!"

I turned back around and walked up to her.

"Hello skank here. Thank you for fucking up my relationship," I said, pulling my arm back. My fist connected with her nose, and I felt satisfied.

Now I was finished here. Thank goodness. I will always miss my musical Russian god.

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_Review!_


	2. 1: Anatolie Dmitrievich Hathaway-Belikov

_Hello Viewers! We update every Wednesday. Check out my VA story "This Lifetime's Love" and Tatiana Belikova's story "Until The End." _

**Disclaimer: We do not own VA! Just the storyline(:**

RPOV:

It had been five and a half years since that fateful night, the night that shattered my heart. Since then, I had let go of the music world, living in a quiet house near my best friend, Lissa Ozera, instead. My life had changed drastically in the last five years, taking me to places I'd never dreamed of.

Dimitri had disappeared off of the music scene shortly after our break up; I hadn't heard from him in the last five years. At first, he tried to call, text, everything, but after being snubbed every time, he eventually gave up. It was just better this way.

I walked into my room with a large armful of clean laundry, softly humming to myself. Setting the clothes on my dark purple blanket, I reached over to my bedside table and turned up the radio. I let the music become background noise as I focused on folding the laundry.

My mind tuned back slowly as I noticed a familiar chord playing. I knew this melody; he'd been working on it when we were still together, before fame got to him. Almost instinctively, I reached for my acoustic guitar, taking it off the stand. The familiar weight and feel of the wood was almost relieving; I hadn't played in too long. My fingers automatically began playing along with the music, the words taking a while to register in my mind.

_Rose is in red_

_but never in blue_

_I love you, my Roza,_

_I'll always miss you._

_[music]_

_You always said I was crazy,_

_pursuing this dream_

_but you always told me,_

_that I'm gonna win._

_Now you're gone and it's my fault_

_this dream was a nightmare_

_You're right, again._

_Rose is in red, but never in blue_

_I love you my Roza,_

_I didn't mean to lose you_

_But now that the storms_

_are filling the sky_

_Know you're always_

_the sun in my eyes_

_[music]_

_My biggest regret_

_will always be not treasuring you_

_I made a mistake,_

_one you can't ever forgive._

_I know that now._

_But know this,_

_when you hear this song, think of all the good times_

_the laughs and the love_

_I hope you never forget_

_but I know that you will_

_As long as you're happy_

_I'll love you forever_

_and ever,_

_forever and a day_

_Rose is in red_

_but never in blue_

_I love you forever_

_and I miss you_

As the last chord faded, I watched a tear drop onto my guitar. I hadn't heard his voice in so long. I reached over to shut off the radio, but the DJ's voice stopped me.

"That was the newest single from The Russian-American Exchange. We are fortunate to have RAX in the studio with us today. Tell us, Dimitri, what was your inspiration for that song? It's so heartfelt," the DJ asked.

"Well, Paul, I once had the most amazing girl in the world."

Hearing Dimitri's voice for the first time in years did scary things to my heart. I felt it pounding against my chest. My breath grew short, something like a panic attack coming over me.

"She was beautiful, smart, loyal, the greatest part of my life. But I lost her, because I was a dumbass." They bleeped out 'dumbass' but the message came across. "It's been five and a half years since I've talked to her last, and every single day, I've stayed loyal and faithful to her memory, despite the fact that I couldn't stay faithful to her."

There was silence as Dimitri's sad voice trailed off. Before anyone could start speaking again, I shut the radio off, tears sliding silently down my face.

Dimitri. His name sent thrills through me, thrills of happiness entwined with pain. After all of these years, he still held my heart. I knew, however, that I could never forgive him for what he did. No amount of pretty songs could make up for it.

The door to my bedroom swung open, and a little four year old, almost five, waddled in. I set my guitar down and opened my arms up to him.

He crawled onto my lap, his brown eyes, so much like his father's, shining up at me.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" he asked, his voice a soft falsetto.

I smiled down at my precious boy. "I heard a sad song, that's all, Anatolie." My son leaned into me, giving me a sweet hug. Though his father had hurt me all those years ago, he left me with this precious little gift: our son, Anatolie Dmitrievich Hathaway-Belikov**.**

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_Review! Also, don't worry! The chapters do get longer._


	3. 2: Everyday Life With a Twist

_Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows! The song lyrics in the last chapter were made up by my amazing co-writer! *Cue applause* R&R._

**Disclaimer: We do not own VA, just Anatolie!**

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RPOV:

I got up the next morning with the memory of his song lingering in my mind. Halfway through the night, Anatolie had crawled into bed with me. He had been scared of an imaginary monster that seemed to crawl under his bed at night. Getting out of bed, being careful to not wake up Anatolie, I made my way towards the kitchen. I always made breakfast before he got up, wanting to see his beautiful smile, which was so much like his father's.

Pulling out eggs and milk from the fridge and bread from the cupboard, I prepared the ingredients to make French toast, Anatolie's favorite breakfast food. Like father, like son. I'll have to pick up some more groceries soon, I thought idly.

Fifteen minutes later, a yawning Anatolie walked into the kitchen and sat at the table just as I was making his plate.

"Smells good, Mommy. What are you making today?" Anatolie asked, smiling up at me. Some days, I lived for that smile.

"Your favorite," I said lightly, smiling back at him.

"Yay!" He clapped his hands excitedly.

I turned back to the stove, flipping more bread. He's so easy to please, I thought reflectively. Unlike some people. I shook off the thought. Let's not go there today.

Hearing Dimitri for the first time in months, that particular song especially, had opened up some old wounds, rubbed them raw. Something told me it was going to be one of those days.

I sighed and happened to glance at the clock, my eyes widening. "Crap! Crap, crap, crap!" If I didn't hurry, I was going to be late for work.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Anatolie looked up at me with his eyes wide.

"We have to hurry, sweetheart, or else we're going to be late," I said in a rush, shutting off the stove. I scooped the last four French toast onto a plate, hurriedly spread some butter onto them and added syrup. "Clean your face, Tolya," I said, whilst stuffing my face.

"Okay, Mommy." He hopped down from his chair and padded down the hall to the bathroom. I heard the water run and hoped he wouldn't make a mess. Five minutes later, he walked back into the kitchen, face fully cleaned.

"Okay hunny, now you've got to get dressed so Mommy can drop you off at school," I said, cleaning his dish. He nodded and ran to his room, leaving me to go get dressed in mine.

I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, and grabbed a grey, silky blouse from my closet, a black pencil skirt going with it. Taking a quick shower, I got dressed and put on my black three-inch heels. Lissa would be proud. Ever since high school, she's been saying I had no sense of fashion, but all of those years of her chastising me paid off.

Grabbing my keys and purse, I walked out of my room to see Anatolie holding his coloring book, waiting for me. We walked out of the door and headed towards the car. Anatolie's school wasn't far from the house, maybe about half a mile from where we lived.

"Mommy, after school can we get ice cream?" Anatolie asked. Every day after school ended, he'd want to do something; some days he'd want to go for doughnuts and other days like today, he'd ask for ice cream.

"Sure we can baby, just promise me you'll be good in class today," I answered, knowing he would be good anyway. He took his temper from his father.

"I promise, Mommy. If you see Aunty Lissa, can you tell her I said hi?" Anatolie asked, smiling. Lissa loved to spoil him; every now and then she'd take him somewhere or bring him something of his choosing.

"Of course I will," I said, smiling just as sweetly. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the preschool; man did I hate traffic. Especially in the morning when parents and high school students needed to get to work or school.

Opening our car doors, Anatolie and I made our way to his classroom. Seeing a friend of his by the door, Anatolie ran towards her yelling, "Hey Camille!"

I smiled, glad that Anatolie was making friends. "Bye, Tolya!" I called, waving to him.

"Bye, Mommy!" he called back.

I hurried away from his school and jumped back into the car. Now that he wasn't in it, I could drive a little less carefully.

I'm sure that in my hurry to get to work, I broke several traffic laws. It wasn't physically possible for me to reach St. Vlad's Publishing, where I worked as a secretary, on time otherwise. I parked my car, and nearly ran to the office door. I couldn't afford another tardy. Nearly tripping in my heels, I stumbled into the main doors.

"Finally, Rose, I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show," Clare, the other secretary, said. I smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, horrible traffic," I said, smiling to myself. I rushed to the elevator, and hit button number two, which was the floor my desk was located. Five minutes later, I appeared at my desk just as my boss, Victor, walked out of his office.

"Good morning, Hathaway. I want you to translate these documents from Turkish to English by lunchtime," Victor said professionally. He was a good boss, and he certainly did have his days.

"Will do sir, I'll have it done by then," I said, smiling.

Times like these I was glad to be fluent in Turkish, English, and Russian. In high school Dimitri had loved to tease me in Russian, not telling me what he'd said, but in college I had studied the language. It had helped me carry a conversation with the Belikovs, especially with Yeva. The stubborn old woman only spoke to me in Russian, even though she was almost as fluent in English as me.

While I was growing up, my mom had mostly spoken to me in Turkish, due to my father apparently being Turkish. Which was why I finished translating the documents an hour before my lunch break. I made my way to Victor's office, waving to some of my fellow colleagues. I knocked softly on the door. A soft, "Come in," came from the other side of the door. I opened it to reveal Victor typing away on his laptop.

"How can I help you, Rose?" Victor asked, his eyes curious.

"Well, I finished translating the documents, sir," I replied, smiling at his shocked look.

"Amazing! You can take your lunch break early today, seeing as you've done all I wanted you to do for the moment," Victor replied, happiness lacing his words. It made me wonder what made him so happy.

"Sir, a woman named Sonya is on line five," one of the receptionists, Alexandra, said. Pure joy filled Victors face.

So Victor has a sweetheart. Maybe with her around, he'll always be this happy, I thought hopefully to myself.

"Thank you, Alexandra," Victor said. "Rose, go ahead and take it now. I expect you to be back in two hours." He hit line five, and I quietly shut the door. My desk phone started ringing, and I quickly made my way towards it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Rose, hey, it's Lissa. I was just calling to see if you wanted to meet somewhere for lunch. Maybe at Alberta's?" Lissa said, music coming from the background.

"Sure," I said happily. "I'm on lunch break right now. Want to meet there in fifteen?"

"You're on lunch break already?" Lissa sounded surprised.

"Mmhmm," I replied absentmindedly, getting ready to leave. "Victor was in a generous mood today."

"Okay, then, sounds good!" I could tell she was grinning.

"Mmk, see you there." I hung up and grabbed my coat along with my wallet and keys. Waving goodbye to Clare, who was on the phone, I walked out of the building with a smile on my face.

It seemed like the day, which had started so badly, was turning around. However, something told me I spoke too soon.

By the time I arrived at Alberta's Cafe, I was about twenty minutes late. In my defense, there was a slow driver in front of me.

"There you are!" Lissa waved me over to her table. "I should have known you'd be late." She shook her head mock disapprovingly.

I rolled my eyes. "There was a slow driver in front of me," I protested.

Lissa chuckled. "Suure that's what happened. You were probably the slow driver."

I rolled my eyes again. "Did you order?" I asked.

Lissa nodded. "Yup, all taken care of." Just as she finished speaking, her order was called.

She came back with a coffee and large hot chocolate, along with a salad for her and stromboli for me with a side of one of Alberta's famous brownies. "Have I ever told you I loved you?" I questioned, inhaling the delicious scent of food.

Lissa laughed. "Yes, but it never hurts to hear it again," she joked.

Our lunch continued on normally, until Lissa got a phone call. "Excuse me, Rose," she said apologetically. "It's Mia and you know how she gets."

I nodded in understanding. Our mutual friend Mia was the stereotypical blond fangirl, stalking any number of famous people. It got highly disturbing at times, especially when she began her rants on how they should lead their lives.

"Hello?" Lissa answered the phone as I began to busy myself with my brownie. "That's great." Something in Lissa's voice changed as the blond's babbling voice could be heard ranting loudly on the other end. I couldn't make out any words, but whatever it was made Lissa anxious. "That's awesome Mia, but -" She was cut off. Lissa became increasingly upset with whatever Mia was saying. I looked at her, puzzled. "What?! When?" Lissa's eyes widened with horror. "No!" she gasped.

"Liss?" I inquired.

Lissa's eyes flashed to mine. "I gotta go, Mia," she said abruptly, and hung up.

"What was that about?" I asked.

Lissa shook her head, staring intently at the table. "Nothing," she mumbled, frowning.

"Clearly it's not nothing, since you look like you're planning your own funeral," I said frankly.

Lissa just shook her head again and stood up. "I have to go," she announced.

I stared at her, open mouthed. "Okay then?" I said, confused.

Lissa nodded. "I'll see you later." I watched, dumbstruck, as she walked away.

What was that about?

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	4. 3: Dimitri Is Back In Town

Disclaimer: We do not own VA, just the bus! xD

DPOV:

"Alright boys, as you know Dimitri here is turning the big 27," Abe announced. The guys whooped and hollered.

"Getting a bit old there, aren't we, Dimitri?" Mason teased. Looking over at Abe, our manager, he was silently shaking his head.

"Anyway boys, we will be arriving at our destination in about fifteen minutes. We will be staying there for a while, celebrating Dimitri's birthday, putting on an honorary concert, and I myself will be meeting my daughter for the very first time," Abe continued, love in his voice at the last part.

Looking out the bus window, my mind went to my Roza. The love of my life, the woman I lost because of this damn fame. If she was still in town, I would get her back. I won't stop until she's mine again.

I still remembered that last day, when we broke up, the way the tears fell down her beautiful face. Maybe her ending it was good for us at the time; I was being taken away from her piece by piece.

When I'd called my Roza instead of calling Abe to get me out of there, it cut a wound too deep to heal. The things I said, it was all under the influence. I never was a heavy drinker. With my Roza in my mind, I began to think of when we'd first met.

_"Excuse me, you're blocking the way," a distinct voice said behind me. Turning around, I looked down and saw a girl. A really beautiful girl._

_She was perfect, her hazel eyes matching her long dark brown hair, and smoothly tanned skin. She had a look of annoyance on her face._

_Annoyance over what? Oh, over me, I was blocking something. Moving out of the way, she grabbed a book off the shelve._

_The library had many books in it, and I'd wondered why she had picked this isle. Maybe it was fate, or maybe I was overly fanciful. She took out "Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger._

_"Are you reading this for a project or just because you like to read?" I asked her, smiling in hope that I'd get to hear her speak again._

_She looked at me, seeming to study me for a second. Her eyes widened, and then she regained her calm look._

_"I'm sorry but my mother always told me not to talk to strangers," she said, a small smirk on her face. This caused me to grin widely._

_"Oh, well then maybe we can change that. My name is Dimitri Belikov," I said, extending my hand out for her to shake._

_"Rosemarie Hathaway. My friends call me Rose, you can call me Rosemarie," Rose said, smiling. I lifted my eyebrow, and she frowned._

_"Well then Rosemarie, I've never seen you around. How long have you gone here?" I asked, almost frowning because her face still held a frown._

_"Ugg no just call me Rose. I prefer it more and stop doing that," Rose said, still frowning._

_Now it was my turn to slightly frown. What was she talking about? Reaching up, she straightened my eyebrow from its raised position._

_"Okay, all better. I hate how I'm the only one who can't raise an eyebrow. It just irks my soul. Anyway, I've been in this town for as long as I can remember. This is only my junior year. One more year to go and I'm out of this hell hole," she said, her words mesmerizing me._

_She was wearing a casual fit floral dress, great for this perfectly hot weather. Her legs looked soft, and smooth and I just wanted to feel exactly how soft and smooth they were._

_"Anyway I have to go. Nice meeting you, Dimitri. Hopefully, I'll see you around," Rose said, turning away and walking out of the library. That was the first time I was ever stuck so hard by a girl._

A few minutes later we arrived at the bus station in Missoula, my hometown. The place where it had all started. Girls ran screaming towards the bus.

I'd suggested we'd come in something a little less ... obvious. Abe refused, saying that we'd have more people come from all over the world just to hear us play.

Adrian was annoyed, but he said he'd handle the girls. We relied on him; if anyone could stop the crazy fangirls, it was him. It was as if with his voice, he could compel them to calm down.

"Stop the bus please," Adrian said, smirking. Phil, the driver, pulled the bus to a stop. Adrian grabbed a mic and climbed up to the top of the bus. I, wanting to see his effect on the girls (surprisingly some men too), followed him up.

Screams erupted from down below us, the loudest scream seeming to come from a blonde with bouncy curls and a baby face.

"Adrian! Adrian! I'm Mia! Your biggest fan!" the blonde called up at us. I peeked over the side and the screams got louder. A girl near the front fainted.

"Ladies, ladies. While we're in town please do act like we're ordinary people. That's because we are. If we are to stay here for a while, things must stay calm or else we're going to have to leave, and you don't want that right?" Adrian said, smiling. Everyone in the crowd shook their heads from side to side. They were under Adrian's spell. Or so he put it.

"So ladies and gentleman please go back to what you were doing, and we'll see you later," Adrian said, still smiling oh so sweetly. People began to slowly walk away and go back to what they were doing. When we got back inside the bus, Abe was looking at Adrian with wide eyes.

"I'm not even going to ask," Abe said, a small smile on his face. He signaled Phil to start the bus and continue to our hotel. There weren't that many hotels in our small town but I knew all of the good ones.

I'd be staying with my family for most of this visit, anyway. Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Radison hotel. We dragged our luggage to the front desk where the receptionist kept staring at us with a look of adoration in her eyes as she slowly gave us the keys to our rooms. We were all settled in about forty five minutes later.

"Well boys, I am going to go seek out Janine. You guys are free to roam the town. If you need some security, you have them on speed dial, don't hesitate to call," Abe said, walking out of my room where all of the guys were.

"See you later, I'm going to go visit my family," I said to them walking out the door. Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed Viktoria's phone number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Dimika! Are you in town? I heard you were! Mama is so happy," Viktoria literally yelled into the phone.

"Vika give me the phone," my mother's distinct voice came from the background. There was some shuffling in the background and then my mother's sweet voice came on the line.

"Dimika, are you coming over?" My mother asked, Paul crying in the background. Sonya's sweet voice began to sing an old Russian lullaby to him, from what I could pick up.

"Yes mother, I am on my way right now," I said, looking around, taking in the smell of my home town. Oh how I missed it.

"Great! Everyone has missed you. Phone conversations are not as good as seeing the actual living and breathing Dimika," Viktoria said, apparently taking the phone from my mother.

"Vika, hush. I wasn't finished. Dimika, on your way over here, could you pick up some eggs? I'm making some Okroshka, and we've run out of eggs," My mother said, a crash coming from the background. I could faintly hear Yeva cursing in Russian in the background. All of this brought a smile to my face. I had missed my family. Here, I wasn't anyone but Dimitri. I wasn't famous and I wasn't a heartbreaker. I was just Dimitir, brother and son and grandson.

"Of course I will, Mama. I will call you back when I've finished," I said, smiling.

"Okay, thank you Dimika. Yeva says that she misses you," my mother said. Before she hung up I hear a faint "Nyet (No)" come from the background. It was Yeva. She was the only one who knew the full truth behind why I left and why Rose and I had broken up. She had said she saw it all. My grandmother can see things, it's just very unfortunate that she had seen that horrible day. The day that crushed my heart, and I had fled from it out of pure cowardice. Think of happier things Dimitri, I thought to myself. With that thought I started to smile, thinking of how amazing it was to be in town again. And with that, I headed towards the grocery store.

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**A/N**: Tatiana Belikova here :D I'd like to thank you all for your reviews!

Thank you for reviewing Chapter 2 to the following people: **RozaRocks** (Thanks :D Not very long, apparently! ;D), **Guest** (soon enough? :D), **PiesandStuff** (We would, but there's the issue of different time zones and school, so it's a bit hard to meet up to write chapters. Since we can do it only once a week, that's how often we can update :P Sorry! Love your name, btw! **(;), bboop12, Lily, Mrs. Belikova** (Yesh :3), **123hereigo456, Cece1300**5 (Thanks! Can't update that often, though :/), **Guest** (Because Dimitri came home and she wanted to avoid them meeting :P), **XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX**,** LottieIvasko**v and **lol** (Lol, you should have guessed anyway! :D).

**I'll do this for every chapter! Sorry I didn't get the chance to do it for the previous :P**


	5. 4: A Surprising Encounter

Thank you all for your amazing reviews, follows, ect. The long update wait is due to my co-writer and I being in different time zone, so please bare with us. R&R _~LLGF_

_Disclaimer: We do not own VA._

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RPOV:

"Okay, Liss, I'll stop by. I need to get some groceries and Anatolie first, though, so I'll be late," I said into the phone I was holding awkwardly between my ear and shoulder.

"Okay, Rose, hurry up, please. We really need to talk," Lissa pleaded on the other end.

My brow furrowed. "What's wrong, Liss? Tell me." I'd been trying to get her to tell me what was going on throughout our ten minutes conversation.

"It's something that needs to be said in person," Lissa said.

I sighed. "Alright. Well, I need to get going Liss. I'll see you in a bit," I said, grabbing my purse and car keys.

"Alright, Rose. Stay safe." _Click_.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. It must have been something really upsetting that she hung on me like that, I mused, locking my house.

Jumping in my car, I made sure the radio was off; I didn't need to have a meltdown in the middle of the road. I hummed gently to myself on the way to the market, mentally ticking off what I needed. I was in a surprisingly good mood today. A good mood that would soon come to an end.

I was in the dairy aisle, looking for a carton of eggs when I had the inexplicable need to look up. I wished I hadn't because the moment I did, life as I knew it ended.

Dimitri Belikov stood in front of me.

Every last breath was knock out of me. I caught myself on my cart as my legs gave out. My wide eyes stared at him, hoping that this nightmare wasn't real.

There he was, strolling down the aisle toward me, his infamous duster wrapped around him. He clearly hadn't noticed me yet and my hungry heart used the opportunity to feast my eyes on him while my brain was frozen with shock.

He hadn't changed much. He was still the tall cowboy I had fallen in love with all those years ago. He still had that quiet air of confidence around him. From what I could see, his hair was still the long, lovely brown it had been when I'd last seen him. His eyes stared into mine with shock, still the warm, chocolate brown - wait. _Stared in mine?!_

I stifled a cry as I realized he had noticed me too. As fast as I could, I gathered myself, grabbed a carton of eggs off the shelf, and set them into the cart before turning around and casually walking away from him.

"Rose!" The strangled cry behind me made me instinctively turn around.

I immediately spun back around, moving quicker.

"Roza, wait, please!"

I squeezed my eyes shut against the pushing tears. No, no, no! This can't be happening, I thought to myself making my escape.

I hurried to my car, my old Russian lover hot on my heels. I hopped into my car, and quickly started it, then hit the gas. Dimitri stood off to the side, sorrow clear on his face.

I wasn't ready to see him after so long of being away from him; the last time I saw him, I was in tears and a groupie had put the moves on him. I drove quickly to Lissa's house, exceeding the speed limit. Tears slid silently down my face.

With a starting realization, I realized that it was also going to be Dimitri's birthday in a few days. Was that why he was here now? If so, that meant he'd be in town for a while. I didn't know how I would be able to handle that.

As soon as I reached Lissa's house, which was only a couple of blocks away from my own, I jumped out of the car, leaving the door wide open, the car running.

I didn't even bother with a courtesy knock; instead, I simply burst through, screaming, "Vasilisa Dragomir Ozera!"

"What!" Lissa cried out, running down her steps.

"He's here!" I wailed, feeling true hysteria creeping up. "He's here and Anatolie is in daycare, and I just saw him! And I need to get food because I'm out but he's out there and I can't handle it and he's here and, and, he's here, dammit! Why didn't you tell me! You were supposed to be my friend! He's here! What do I do! He's here!

"Rose!" Lissa snapped. "I know he's here. that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

I felt myself shaking. "Lissie, he's here," I whispered. "I don't know..."

"Rose, it'll be alright," she said kindly, wrapping her arms around me. "You go get Anatolie and I'll get the groceries you need, okay? One step at a time."

I nodded dumbly. "Okay," I mumbled.

"What do you need?"

I swallowed, trying to think. "Um, eggs. Milk. Bread. Um, ground beef, cheese slices, burger buns. We're having burgers for dinner," I explained unnecessarily. _One step at a time_. "Um, fries, I guess."

Lissa nodded. "Okay, I'll go get that. You just go get Anatolie and go home, okay?"

I nodded, feeling a bit numb after my initial reaction. Everything seemed so surreal all of a sudden. Like none of this was happening. I hadn't just met Dimitri. My life hadn't just turned upside down. I was just running late and had to have Lissa get groceries so I could pick up Anatolie. Yeah, that's it. That's what was happening.

I walked to my car, got in and sat there for a second. _Everything is going to be okay Rose_, I thought calmly to myself. Making my way to Anatolie's school, I started to believe it.

When I drove up and parked, Anatolie ran to me yelling, "Mommy! I missed you! Aunty Sonya helped my teacher today." Sonya was Dimitri's sister, she was very fond of Anatolie seeing as she had a few children of her own. She worked at the daycare from time to time.

I picked Anatolie up and spun him around, his giggles making me smile widely. I had missed my baby boy.

"Toly I missed you! Did you have fun?" I asked him, setting him down on the ground. He grabbed my hand and lead me to the car.

"Mommy! It was so fun! Aunt Sonya brought in ice cream and we got to eat it. I made a picture with mac n cheese! It has to dry. When it does can we hang it up?" Anatolie asked, his voice raising by the second. He certainly took after me in the talking department, but it was adorable.

When we got to the car, I strapped Anatolie into his booster seat. He was still talking about his day at school. Apparently a kid had taken his cookies, having told the teacher she gave him some more.

"Does this mean no more ice cream?" I asked Anatolie, looking into the rear view mirror. he shook his head no and I handed him his touch book.

Lissa had bought it for him weeks ago. It was a tablet-like book that was in the form of an apple. Anatolie could choose out of ten Disney books, and the tablet-like thing would read it to him. His favorite so far was, "The Little Mermaid." He loved the sea creatures. It gave me an idea of what to do for his birthday.

The next few minutes were spent with Anatolie showing me pictures on his ereader. He just got so excited about it. Lissa was an angel.

I pulled into our driveway, and unbuckled Anatolie from his booster seat. He ran to the front door, then waited patiently for me to unlock it for him.

I set my purse and keys on the counter. Toly went into the living room, dropping his backpack to the floor before taking off his outside clothes.

I went into the kitchen, looking for the ice cream. I was actually looking forward to it with Anatolie, but he already had some. Opening the fridge, I pulled out some vanilla ice cream.

Grabbing a spoon, I put some in a bowl. As I ate, I thought, which was a great combination.

Walking into the living room, I saw my baby boy was starting to fall asleep, so I picked him up and cradled him like a baby, rocking him from side to side. He soon was fully asleep. Awake or not, he was so adorable.

There was a knock on the door. With Lissa in mind, I made my way towards it, still holding Anatolie. Smiling down at him, I adjusted my grip and opened the door. I glanced up, saying, "Thanks, Liss, I-" My words cut off as I realised I wasn't looking at Lissa, but Dimitri.

Since I had a napping Anatolie in one arm, I couldn't properly slam the door.

"Wait, Rose, I have your groceries!"

Hearing his voice again, in person and not while I was having a meltdown, was like eating chocolate for the first time in three years. Sweet, smooth, gentle, deep. The richest dark chocolate in the world. Melted on top of ice cream. _Am I pregnant again or something? Going on about ice cream and chocolate like that_...I shook off the errant thought and focused on the situation at hand. Or, more precisely, in my arms. Where my child rested. The child Dimitri was now staring wide eyed at._ Shit._

"Well," I swallowed nervously. "Since you have my food, supposed you must come in."

I pushed the door open so he could walk in, then turned around and walked into the living room. My house wasn't too big; a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, my room, Anatolie's room and one guest room. The trust fund my unknown father had set up for me when I was a child allowed me to live quite comfortably, but I avoided using it as much as possible, preferring instead to earn my money.

"Who is this?" Dimitri asked tentatively once we were settled down, him in the armchair and me on the couch opposite.

I pursed my lips and glanced down at my sleeping angel. "This..." I trailed off. How should I phrase this? Should I say it fast, like ripping off a bandaid? Well, subtlety was never my strong point. "This is Anatolie, your son."

Dimitri stared at the small form in my arms, stricken. "My...?"

I nodded, not looking at him. "I found out about a month after..." I let the unsaid part of the sentence hang in the air. _After we broke up and you left._

"Do you hate me that much?" he whispered, sounding heartbroken.

I blinked up at him and realized that he looked as if he'd aged a hundred years since stepping through my door. His shoulders were hunched and pain was etched clearly in his face. He looked like a man in hell, burning slowly as acid crept through his veins.

"I don't, Dimitri," I whispered, astonished. "I don't at all." And I didn't, as shocking as that was. Yes, I hated what he had done to me, to us, but I could never hate something that was as much a part of me as Anatolie was. I could never hate the person who helped me create the beautiful being in my arms at that moment.

"Why - why didn't you tell me?" Dimitri asked, his voice breaking.

I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. _He is hurt_, I reminded myself. _He is in shock. Do not get mad at his ignorance_. "Dimitri, the last time I saw you...well, yeah. I didn't know how to tell you, hell, I didn't even know where you were. I didn't want my son thrown into that world, a world where his father is a drunk asshole who is never home, and even if he is, he is out screwing random whores while his girlfriend sits home worried," I snapped. _So much for not getting mad_, I thought ruefully.

Dimitri hung his head. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I've stopped all of that. I wrote a song-"

"Yeah, I heard it," I interrupted him. I didn't want to hear his apologies. I didn't want to hear that he'd changed. Until I saw it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't believe it. "But it doesn't change anything. You can see your son, but that's the only connection between us, do you understand?" I hated to be harsh with him, considering that it had been five years since I'd seen him last, but I couldn't afford to allow either Anatolie or me to get hurt. As it was, I was taking a risk by allowing the two to meet, but I knew how horrible it was to not know your father. My mother had kept me from my father for years; only recently did I find out who he was. Apparently, he had only recently found out about me too. He was coming to visit me soon.

"You're letting me be part of his life?" Dimitri asked, wonder in his voice and in his eyes.

I nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Yes. It's not right for you to not know each other."

"Thank you, Roza," Dimitri murmured.

I flinched. "Please don't use that name," I requested.

Dimitri hesitated, but nodded. "Can I-can I hold him?" Dimitri said reverently, focus back on Anatolie. "What's his name?"

"Anatolie Dmitrievich Hathaway-Belikov," I replied, my mouth almost tired from saying the long name. Damn Russian tradition.

Dimitri's eyes shot up to mine. "You followed the Russian tradition?"

I nodded. "Clearly," I replied, sarcasm in my probably didn't deserve my sarcasm right now, but it was what he was going to get for his stupid question.

I carefully handed him Anatolie, doing my best to avoid touching him. It was the last thing I needed, and something told me the moment his skin touched mine, I would be a goner. I sat back to watch them. Love was clear in Dimitri's eyes, despite the fact he had only just met Anatolie. Looking at them both, they looked so much alike, it made me smile sadly.

Anatolie started to stir in Dimitri's arms.

"He's going to wake up soon," I warned him. "It's good though; that way a proper introduction can be made."

Dimitri looked up to me, panic clear in his eyes. "What if he doesn't like me?"

I chuckled lowly, assuring him that Anatolie would love to meet his long lost father.

He frowned. "I just wish I was there for see my son take his first steps, his first words. Rose, there's a lot of things I want to do before I leave town. _If_ I leave town."

Shocked at the possibility of Dimitri staying in town made me shake my head. Not that I didn't want him in town. He needed to get to know Anatolie. It was just that I didn't want to fall all over again. I would try my best to resist him. After all, talk is cheap. "Look, Dimitri, I'm really sorry I kept this from you. I felt it was necessary at the time, and I stand by that decision. But you don't have to throw your whole career away so you can get to know him. You can still come home after touring. There's not law that says you have to stay away from town forever," I told him, trying to tactfully say that I couldn't handle him being around without becoming a mess. But, as stated earlier, subtlety wasn't my strong point.

Dimitri gave me a small smile. "If you really want me to stay away so badly, I'll stay away. Our only connection will be Anatolie, if you so wish."

_Huh?_ He gave in waaay too easily. I stared at him suspiciously, but his attention was on Anatolie again. "Dimitri, I-"

Anatolie yawned and stirred a bit more. "Mommy?" Anatolie said, while yawning. Dimitri looked at Anatolie wide eyed.

"I'm right here Toly," I said, smiling. Anatolie was staring at Dimitri. He then broke out in a smile, causing Dimitri to give one of his heart warming smiles in return.

Dimitri let Anatolie, get up out of his arms.

"Mommy who is this?" Anatolie said, looking at Dimitri. Dimitri was still smiling.

"Toly," I said taking a deep breath. "This is your Daddy," I said, waiting for his reaction.

However, the reaction he gave was a surprise.

* * *

A/N: Tatiana Belikova: Cliffy! xD

Thank you for reviewing to the following people: **Rozalie Hathaway Belikova** (sorry for the long wait!),** PiesandStuff** (you like? :D), RozaRocks (**yesh** :3 and yes, yes it will be very interesting (;), **blackrose1999, zytka23** (You'll see (; Thank you!), **Maddy D** (We would, but we really can't because we write the chapters together and it's difficult for both of us to find a time to write it together, since we live in different time zones. We can only meet once a week, and we write a chapter then.), **trubie522** (Good? Was it what you expected?),** Rcracer123** (yesh they did :3), **bboop12** (not yet! but yes, Dimitri is going to get it once Abe finds out what he did...), **XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, Mrs. Belikova, 123hereigo456** (Not her son yet...but yes, the chapter stay quite long after this!), **M** (Soon enough for you? (;),** Rose-loves-Dimitri** (Haha yeah! Sorry for the lack of update for it...my muse ran away, due to lack of sleep and being sick and busy :P), **mavebelikova** (Thank you :3)


	6. 5: Meeting Tolya

Disclaimer: We do not own VA :D

DPOV:

I stood, stunned, as Rose, my Roza, pulled away. What just happened?

I hadn't expected to see her at the grocery store, or anywhere really. I couldn't believe she had just run away. From me. All I wanted was to talk to her. Was I that bad? _Yes_, a voice said. _Yes you are_. _You shattered her heart_. I swallowed my pain and pushed the voice out of my mind.

I don't know how long I stood there, simply staring at the empty road where her car disappeared. Long enough for another car to pull in from the same direction. My heart soared with hope. Did she come back? I shouldn't hope for it, but I couldn't help myself.

The car parked in front of me. I could now see a blonde head in through the windshield and my hopes plummeted to my feet and through the ground. Not Roza after all, just her friend Lissa.

"Hey," I said glumly as Lissa stepped out of the car.

"Dimitri, hey, how are?" Lissa asked, looking concerned.

I just looked at her, not saying anything. Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

"Yeah, I figured." Lissa sighed. "Hey, why don't you go shopping for me?" She reached into her car and pulled out pen and paper, scribbling something down on it hurriedly. "Here." She thrust the paper into my hands. "Buy that, then go to her house. There's something she needs to tell you."

I stared, dumbfounded, at the list in my hands. "Um..."

"Do you have money or do you want me to pay for it?" Lissa asked impatiently.

"Uh, no it's fine. I have money," I muttered, confused.

Lissa sighed heavily. "Look, Dimitri, I hate what you did to her. Absolutely hate it. In fact, I almost hate you. But I want my best friend happy, and to be happy she needs to get over you. To do that, she needs closure, something she won't get if she avoids you or you her. There's something you two need to talk about that has been put off for way too long, so get your ass into that store, buy the things she needs, drive to her house, and talk it all out."

I had never in my life heard Lissa yell or swear, except when she was beyond pissed off. Looking at her face now told me that she was fifty shades of pissed, and then some. I decided then that it wasn't worth arguing over, not that I really wanted to argue anyway. Anything that could get me my Roza back was okay in my book. I knew that I had a lot of making up to do, but this was a step in the right direction. I hoped.

"Okay," I replied.

Lissa looked shocked. "Oh, okay, then," she stuttered. "Well, you know where everything is, so, um, yeah. I'll be going now. Talk to you...whenever." She slid back into her car, seeming a bit rattled, which confused me even more. Isn't this what she wanted?

I shrugged and trudged back into the store, keeping in mind everything I had to get for Mama. The shopping was done quickly; I was eager to see Roza.

I found my Roza's house soon enough; the plaque on the door confirmed it. It read: _Hathaway_. Every little step towards the door made my heart ache. It had been so long since I've see my Roza. About five years.

When I knocked, she opened it cradling a child in her hands. Well, it seemed as if she'd moved on, I thought, a fission of pain sparking down my spine. _Well, she wasn't going to wait for you; you did ruin your relationship_, my conscious snarked.

"Thanks Liss- I," She began to say, but looking up at me stopped her in the middle of her sentence. I expected her to slam the door. The child in her arms prevented that.

"Wait, Rose, I have your groceries!" She stared at me, as if she were looking into my soul.

In a calm voice, she replied, "Since you have my food, supposed you must come in."

Pushing the door open, she turned around and went into what appeared to be the living room. I stepped into the house, glancing around, taking everything in. It didn't look as if there was a man in her life, but looks could be deceiving.

I took a seat in an armchair, and my Roza took a seat on a couch just opposite of me. I finally asked the question that's been bugging me ever since she opened the door. "Who is this?"

Looking down, love and adoration filled her gaze. The little boy looked peaceful in his sleep, his hair Roza's shade of brown. I wondered what color his eyes were.

"This..." she began to say. "This is Anatolie, your son."

I froze, not sure if I heard that right. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"My...?" She didn't say what I think she said...right? Nodding, she looked everywhere but at me. It was true then. _Un_believeable.

"I found out about a month after..." The unsaid sentence was left in the air, but the message was clear.

A pain formed in my chest. I'd had a son, all this time. A part of Rose and I lived, and I never knew about it. "Do you hate me that much?" I asked, my emotions strangling me. I felt weighed down. All this time, I'd thought Rose and I ended when she had broken up with me. Never in my wildest dreams had I even considered thinking that there was still a connection between us, still a chance for something more. All hope seemed to rush out of me with the knowledge that she's kept something so precious away from me. She had to hate me.

"I don't, Dimitri," she whispered, sounding shocked. "I don't at all."

"Why - why didn't you tell me?" I asked. I could find no other reason, but there had to be. I couldn't live knowing that I'd hurt my Roza so badly that she hated me. She didn't even hate her father, who had never been there.

"Dimitri, the last time I saw you...well, yeah. I didn't know how to tell you, hell, I didn't even know where you were. I didn't want my son thrown into that world, a world where his father is a drunk asshole who is never home, and even if he is, he is out screwing random whores while his girlfriend sits home worried." She threw the words at me like knives. Each one pierced my heart.

I hung my head, unable to look at her, knowing how badly I'd hurt her. If she thought that of me, then..."I'm sorry," I mumbled, ashamed. "I've stopped all of that. I wrote a song-"

"Yeah, I heard it," she interrupted me.

I guessed she didn't want to hear my apologies, but at least she heard the song. Didn't that count for anything?

"But it doesn't change anything. You can see your son, but that's the only connection between us, do you understand?" she continued.

I felt hope grow within me. "You're letting me be part of his life?" I asked, awestruck. She was truly a goddess. To put aside everything between us just so I could know my son made me love her even more. I don't think I would have been this strong had the roles been reversed.

She avoided my eyes as she answered, not allowing me to see the truth. "Yes. It's not right for you to not know each other."

"Thank you, Roza," I murmured, truly grateful.

She flinched, and I cursed myself for hurting her again. "Please don't use that name," she pleaded.

I kept myself from flinching at her reaction. She used to love that name. I nodded, deciding to focus on my son for the moment. "Can I - can I hold him?" I asked, unable to comprehend that I had a real, live child. I'd always wanted children. "What's his name?" It hurt, not knowing my own son's name.

"Anatolie Dmitrievich Hathaway-Belikov," She replied.

My eyes shot up to hers, disbelieving. "You followed the Russian tradition?" Really, I shouldn't be surprised; my Roza was an amazing woman.

She nodded. "Clearly."

I didn't react to the sarcasm; it was a pretty stupid question, after all.

She carefully gave me Anatolie, doing her best to not touch me. Again, I ignored it, focusing solely on my son. He was beautiful, and fit perfectly in my arms. I could feel the love shining out of me. I made no move to hide it; I fell in love my little boy the moment I found out he was mine. I think I would have found a way to love any of Rose's children, though. How can I not love something that's half of her?

Anatolie started to stir in my arms.

"He's going to wake up soon," Rose warned me. "It's good though; that way a proper introduction can be made."

I looked up at her, panicked. I hadn't thought of actually meeting him. What if he hated me for never being there? "What if he doesn't like me?"

Rose laughed at me, assuring me he would. But how could he? I hadn't been there for him at all! "I just wish I was there for see my son take his first steps, his first words. Rose, there's a lot of things I want to do before I leave town. _If _I leave town."

I hadn't thought about staying too long, but now that I had a reason to stay, I didn't know if i would ever leave.

Rose looked startled. "Look, Dimitri, I'm really sorry I kept this from you. I felt it was necessary at the time, and I stand by that decision. But you don't have to throw your whole career away so you can get to know him. You can still come home after touring. There's not law that says you have to stay away from town forever," she hurried to say, looking a bit horrified and scared.

I gave her a small smile. She wasn't good at hiding things. "If you really want me to stay away so badly, I'll stay away. Our only connection will be Anatolie, if you so wish." I would take anything, so long as I could be around her. I was determined to win her back, and if it had to be on her terms, well, that was fine by me. I would take this slowly, chip away her armor, until both of them were mine, and we were a family once more. I looked down at my son, ignoring anything she might say in protest.

"Dimitri, I-"

Anatolie yawned and stirred a bit more, cutting Rose off. "Mommy?" Anatolie said through a yawn, his voice high. Suddenly, he realised whose arms he was in and stared up at me.

"I'm right here Tolya," Rose said.

Anatolie smiled a smile that was a mirror copy of my own. He began squirming so I let him go, helping him stand up to go to Rose. A smile broke over my face. Nothing could wipe it off. I had a little boy.

"Mommy who is this?" Anatolie asked

"Tolya," Rose took a deep breath, preparing for something major. I swallowed nervously, tensing for his reaction. "This is your daddy."

"Daddy!" Anatolie screamed and threw himself into my arms. I froze, and then warmed up to my son. _My son. _I hugged Anatolie, as if my life depended on it. Maybe it did. I had missed so much in his life. I would be there for him now and forever.

Looking up at Rose, I smiled. Her eyes were watery and tears threatened to fall out. She was beautiful in that moment, she was beautiful in every moment. I knew then that I would get my Roza back no matter what. Rose looked startled for a moment, and seconds later pulled a purple cell phone from her back pocket.

A minute later, she looked up at us and smiled.

"Tolya, I'm going to be with Aunt Lissa. Daddy is going to be with you for a while. You guys can get to know each other better," Rose said, her attention on Anatolie.

"Okay, Mama!" Anatolie excitedly said.

Rose smiled, giving me a look that said, "Take care of my son," and went out the front door.

I was stunned once more. I couldn't believe she just walked out and left me with Anatolie like that. She trusted me that much? I knew that I would never do anything to endanger our son, but for her to believe it too...

I didn't know much of what Anatolie loved to do, but I guess that's the reason behind our father/son time.

"What would you like to do today Toly?" I asked, smiling at my use of his nickname. He giggled, and pointed to a picture on the wall.

Looking over I saw that it was a child's drawing of a giraffe, Anatolie had most likely drawn it.

"I wanna go to the zoo, Daddy!"Anatolie said, his smile seeming to light up the whole room. We had just been properly introduced and he already likes me. I nodded and Anatolie ran to his room saying that he needed to get something. I went into the kitchen and Rose's number was pinned to the refrigerator.** '**_In case of an emergency_**' **was written in neat cursive above the number. Taking out my phone, I put Rose's number in my contacts. She had changed it since I last called her. Except then, she hadn't picked up. I didn't blame her though, I had deserved it for letting fame destroy me.

I would do it different this time. I had to. Anatolie ran out of the room and grabbed my hand, pulling me outside. I laughed. His happiness was just so contagious, I was happy in no time. Sending Rose a quick text of where we'd be, I headed off on the road. Anatolie's attention was taken by what appeared to be a tablet for children. I turned on the radio and the song I dedicated to my Roza was on.

_You always said I was crazy,_

_pursuing this dream_

_but you always told me,_

_that I'm gonna win._

_Now you're gone and it's my fault_

_this dream was a nightmare_

_You're right, again._

_Rose is in red, but never in blue_

_I love you my Roza_

Anatolie was staring at the radio. He brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's the song that made Mommy sad,"Anatolie said.

I was shocked, but then again I shouldn't have been. The hour drive to the zoo was spent with thoughts of my Roza. Her laugh, her smile, how sarcastic she always was. I wondered how much she had changed in the time we spent apart. She had certainly changed. Did she go to college?

"Daddy?" Anatolie pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Can we go see the elephants? And giraffes? And the pandas? I love pandas!" Anatolie continued rattling off the animals he wanted to see.

I smiled down at him. "Of course we can," I replied, picking him up as we entered the zoo. He was much too short for me to hold his hand.

Grabbing a map of the entire zoo, I scanned it looking for the location of the pandas. Luckily they weren't too far from the entrance. On our way to the pandas Anatolie stopped to look at the monkeys. He began excitedly bouncing up and down as the monkey swung itself from tree to tree. Another monkey started making its way in our direction.

Anatolie tried to reach for it, the glass wall the only thing stopping them from touching. The monkey had brown-orange fur, a ring of white around its large brown eyes. Its hand went up to line up with Anatolie's.

Distinct sounds of, "Aww look!" and, "Mommy look at the monkey!" were heard behind me. Anatolie squealed. I couldn't help but chuckle at his adorableness. Once the monkey moved away, I lifted Anatolie onto my shoulders and began making our way to the pandas. On the way there, I bought Anatolie some cotton candy, which succeeded in making him extra hyper. He seemed mesmerized as he looked at the pandas. With their black and white fur and fuzzy ears, I could easily see why. There were a few close enough for us to see.

"Po!" Anatolie yelled pointing at a panda.

I laughed; he seemed to think that the panda from Kung Fu Panda was real. I wasn't going to tell him that he wasn't.

Two hours later, exhaustion hit and the zoo was about to close. We had circled the entire zoo twice. Anatolie cuddled in my arms, yawning over and over. My senses were telling me that he was going to fall asleep soon. When we got to the car, I strapped Anatolie into his car seat Rose had let be borrow. I'd soon have to buy him one that would always be in my car.

Thirty minutes into the drive, I looked over at Anatolie. He looked so peaceful, sleeping in his car seat, his little head lolling to the side as he clutched the stuffed rabbit, which he had grabbed before we left. Roza and I had made this beautiful child. If only I hadn't been a complete idiot, I would have been able to raise him with her. How different would things be now, if I had known about Anatolie? I allowed my mind drifted back to happier moments between us, back before I'd signed the record deal. It seemed to happen a lot.

I turned on the radio, keeping it low. Lady Antebellum's, 'Need You Now' was playing, a tear escaped my eye. That was Roza's ringtone for me. I remembered the day the song had come out. After listening to it once, Roza had declared it the perfect song for us because she would always need me, no matter what.

_Another shot of whiskey, _

_I can't stop looking at the door_

_With you'd come sweeping in,_

_the way you did before_

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind?_

_For me it happens all the time_

I couldn't help but smile at the bitter irony of that song. If she had a ring tone for me now, it would probably be, '_Monster' _by Skillet. How far we've fallen apart.

The sun was setting by the time we finally made it back to Anatolie's house. I could see Rose's car in the driveway. I carefully picked him, cradling him close to my body. Kicking the rear door shut, I walked up to the house. I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not I should knock, but then decided to let the doorknob make the decision for me. I shifted Anatolie to one arm and tried to turn the knob. It turned easily in my hand and I relaxed slightly. She didn't hate me enough to lock the door.

I eased the door open and stepped into the darkened house. I frowned. Was Rose home? I lay Anatolie onto the couch and dialed the phone number she had given me. Somewhere in the house, I heard the distant strains of a song. I followed the sound down the hall to a room at the back of the house, recognizing the song to be '_Monster' _by Skillet, ironically enough. It couldn't be, could it?

"Rose?" I called out.

"Huh? Comrade?" A groggy voice answered.

I chuckled. How well I knew my Roza. "Yes, that's me."

"Why are you calling me then?" I could see her sitting up on her bed. "And why are you laughing?"

I shrugged and stepped into the room so she could see me. "Just laughing because I know you so well." I nodded towards her phone.

Rose blushed. "Where's my son?" she asked, avoiding the subject.

"He crashed out in the car; he's on the couch now. I didn't know where he was sleeping...?" I trailed off questioningly.

"Oh, just across the hall," Rose replied, hitting ignore on her phone. Belated, I realised I should have canceled the call once I found her.

I walked back to the living room and picked up Anatolie. Turning around, I was startled to see Rose standing in the doorway. "This way," she said, jerking her head in indication for me to follow her.

She led me to the room across from hers, opening it to reveal a little boy's room, cluttered with toys and knick knacks.

"He's got your love of reading," she said, idly watching as I set Anatolie in his bed.

"Does he? What else?" I asked, eager to learn more about my son.

"He loves music, and westerns. He's stubborn too. I'm sure you saw that today."

I nodded. "Yeah, he certainly got that side from you," I joked.

"Oh, please, he got that from both of us!" Rose protested. "You can be even more hard headed than me!"

I laughed. "Roza, no one can be more stubborn than you," I said drily.

She rolled her eyes, but then seemed to remember something. Her warmth disappeared, and we were back to square one. "Well, it's getting late, and I'm sure you have a very busy schedule tomorrow. I know I do. So, um, yeah. Bye? You can pick Anatolie up from preschool if you want. Just let me know, okay?"

I was startled by this abrupt dismissal. "Uh, yeah, sure. Um, what time?"

"Three-thirty will be okay," Rose answered, backing out of the room. "You can let yourself out."

I blinked. "Okay," I said resigned. I could take a hint, although this was more of a blatant 'I'm kicking you out,' than a hint. What did I do wrong this time? Outside of the initial hurt, of course.

_You idiot!_a voice in my head screamed. _That's exactly why she's kicking you out! She doesn't want to get hurt again!_

I sighed as I left the house. Behind me, Rose locked the door. I sat in my car for a few minutes, just watching the house. Where would we be if I hadn't ruined everything? Would I be living with them in that little house? Would we be married? Would we have more than one pair of feet running around the house?

The answer was yes, most likely. A wave of pain hit me, and I pulled away. I didn't need to cause Rose more pain by letting her see my tears.

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A/N: Sorry for the long wait! It's been a wacky few weeks, issues with technology being one of the many problems. Anyway, it's here now! Give sad Dimitri some love and make him smile :D I think we will update again Wednesday. On a side note, Friday is my birthday :D - Tatiana Belikova

Thank you to the following people for reviewing:** ladora** (He won't find out for a while yet :P Is his reaction good?), **zytka23** (Lol, yeah xD it'll take time, though), **MTCR'1-MR.2-ID.3-MI.4-VA** (thanks :3)**, Victoria Marie Dragomir,** **bboop12** (Nope, he doesn't. He doesn't know that Dimitri hurt her :P),** peggy** (Good?)**, Cowboy's Lover Dimitri No 1, RozaRocks** (Yes, she is. She has to be, she has a child now(: And yeah, Dimitri and Anatolie will be close :D),** Mrs. Belikova** (Nope :P),** Guest** (Anatolie knows nothing about his parents' past :P And yeah...Dimitri has a lot of making up to do if he wants to get Rose back. But he also realises that what he did to Rose left a lasting impression and that he needs to give both of them time to get used to this.)**, Jennifer, PiesandStuff (**lol, yeah xD True Rose style!), **Kay1a, M, Rose-loves-Dimitri** (Working on the next chapter right after I post this!)**, Rozalie Hathaway Belikova, iluvMomiji, DauntlessCake** (Hahaha xD That's great xD Sorry for making you wait! I hope your whale sounds become those of a happy one not a dying one!),** K-De** (Thanks :3).


	7. 6: Joining the band

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait! A lot of misfortune events occurred, starting with technology issues, and doctor's appointments, leading to pure laziness. Anywho I'm not going to go into full detail just letting you readers who pm'ed and reviewed, we ARE finishing this story. Thanks for reading!_

_P.S: WE ARE TWO GIRLS!_

Disclaimer: We do not own VA :P

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RPOV:

Some people would think me insane for leaving my son with Dimitri for the day only minutes after finding out that he was in town, but if I knew one thing about Dimitri, it was that he would take care of that little boy as if his life depended on it. And it did. But he would also care for him because he was like that. I trusted him to care for Anatolie and I always would, even if he broke every other promise. Sober or not, children were the one thing he never messed around or hurt.

If anything, I was a bad mother. Even though I knew that Dimitri would deliver my son safely back to me, falling asleep was a horrible mistake on my part. What if Anatolie had been hurt? Dimitri wouldn't know about his allergies or anything he might need at the hospital. Of course, he could always call me, but that didn't really make me feel better.

And the phone call! The ringtone! I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't help it. And to know that Dimitri_ expected_ it?

I let out a groan of frustration and buried my face in my hands. I was letting him get underneath my skin and that wasn't good. Here not even a day and already he filled my every thought. I sighed and moved away from the window at which I had been watching Dimitri leave. I needed to go to bed now that I knew my little boy was safe. It had been nice to spend the afternoon ranting about Dimitri and figuring out what would happen in the future with Lissa, but I now needed sleep. Reminding myself that Dimitri would be picking up Anatolie from preschool, I trudged down the hall to my room and curled up on my bed, praying for a peaceful sleep.

After what seemed like forever, I drifted off to a restless sleep. My dreams were filled with Dimitri when a bell startled me out of sleep. It was the doorbell, I realized, opening my eyes.

I dragged myself out of bed to go answer it. A loud band sounded, coming from the door.

"I'm coming!" I yelled, grabbing a robe. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see my mother standing on my porch, looking lost. Her eyes were rimmed red, one side of her hair was messy and the other half was neat. She looked like she'd been awake crying. I hadn't seen her in a while; we didn't exactly leave off on good terms the last time we'd talked.

Regardless of what I felt, I still moved aside for her to come in; she was my mother no matter what. I closed the door behind her and followed her to the living room.

"Rose, promise me you won't get mad at anything I'm about to tell you," my mother said, a tear escaping her eye. She wiped it and looked up at me.

"I'm not going to promise anything but I will be open minded," I replied, wondering what possibly could make me mad.

"Remember when you were little and always had asked about your father?" My mother asked, continuing with my nod.

"He didn't leave us. I ran from him. I loved him, I did. Knowing that I loved him so much, I had to leave him. He was into some pretty bad things. Things that aren't my place to tell you. He's in town, and he wants to meet you. In fact, he'll be here in a few minutes," my mother said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I know," I said, wondering why she was freaking out.

"W-what?" Mom's eyes became wider, almost as big as dinner plates.

I nodded. "He contacted me a few days ago. He said he would be in town and explained everything. He asked if he could stop by and meet me," I explained.

"And you just said yes, just like that?" Mom seemed to be frozen with disbelief.

"Well, there was much cursing and crying involved, but yes. I figured I'd give him a chance. After all, he wasn't the one to keep him from me all these years." I gave Mom a sharp look, ignoring the guilt that filled me at the mental reminder that I did the exact same thing to Dimitri. In my defense, _he_ left me.

Mom's lips parted, as if she wanted to say something, but only air escaped. Finally, she sucked in a deep breath. "Why didn't he tell me?" she cried out, sounding outraged.

"I asked him to not tell anyone until I was ready," I said simply.

"That doesn't include me!"

"He seemed to think so," I said. It seemed like today was a great day for fathers to meet their children, I mused.

Mom stood up, indignant. "Does Dimitri know that he has a child?" she asked coldly.

I nodded, coolly. "Yup. In fact, they spent a day together. Dimitri is really happy knowing him."

Mom looked furious, at me, at Abe, at Dimitri, or maybe at herself, I couldn't tell. I ignored her, glancing at the clock instead. "I need to get to work in an hour or so," I observed. "Anatolie will be up in a few minutes."

"I'm out," Mom said, walking towards the door.

"Wait, that wasn't-"

The door slamming cut me off. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Before I could do anything else, the doorbell rang again.

"That'll be Abe," I muttered. I made my way towards the door, the room temperature getting warmer. Sighing, I opened the door to find Abe, my father standing there messing with a scarf around his neck

"Come in," I said turning on my heels and going into the living room..

"So you're my old man. I guess I can see where I got my amazing hair from," I said, trying to make small talk.

Abe chuckled. "Yes. You're mother's is a bit more auburn. Look Rose, I don't expect us to have that father/daughter relationship, but I'm asking for a chance to get to know you. I'll be in town for a while. In a few days there's going to be a RAX concert, would you like to go? I can easily get tickets," Abe said, with a bit of a Turkish accent. I smiled, and then frowned.

Dimitri's band was RAX. Well, there would be a lot of people there. I don't think he would pick me out in a crowd of hundreds.

Before I could reply, Anatolie's sleepy voice sounded down the hallway.

"Mommy?"

"In here, sweetie!" I called out.

Anatolie appeared in the doorway a few moments later, rubbing his eye with one hand while the other dragged his bear.

"Morning, love," I said cheerfully.

Anatolie crawled into my lap. yawning. "Who's that?" he mumbled.

"This is Abe Mazur, your granddaddy," I replied.

"Oh," he said blankly.

"He's my daddy," I helped.

"Ooh! Hi," Anatolie said, understanding.

I smiled at my darling son. "Abe, this is Anatolie. I told you about him," I said to Abe.

Abe nodded. "And I would like to meet the bastard who hurt you and this little boy and..." he trailed off and I got the distinct feeling that I didn't want to know what he would do. Abe looked down at Anatolie. "You can call me dede. It means grandfather in Turkish."

Anatolie's little eyes went wide. "Dede?"

Abe nodded, eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"So I can speak a 'hole other language?" Anatolie seemed completely amazed by that.

I chuckled. "Of course, Tolya. Soon you'll be speaking fluent Turkish."

"That's awesome!" Anatolie exclaimed.

I laughed again. "Why don't you finished Russian first?"

Anatolie nodded eagerly.

Abe checked his watch and sighed regretfully. "I must go. Duty calls. But how about those tickets?"

I accepted his offer for the concert, and he soon left with promises to take me and Anatolie to breakfast the next morning.

I checked the time and sighed. Once more, we were running late. "Alright, Tolya, breakfast time."

And off we were to another day.

The next few days passed in the same manner. Dimitri would pick Anatolie up from preschool and spend some time with him before dropping him off. Sometimes, he would have practice and be unable to be with Anatolie and those days he usually ended up eating dinner with us. It was always awkward at the beginning, but after making me laugh once (within the first ten minutes) it was normal afterward. We had a tentative peace between us, one that seemed easily broken. Dimitri, being the gutsy man he was, tested it not a week later.

The three of us were sitting down to a late dinner when Dimitri dropped a bomb on me - or, as he called it, a proposition.

"My lead guitarist, Mason, has mono," Dimitri said through a mouthful of chicken.

"Don't speak with your mouth full," I said reflexively.

Dimitri stared at me for a moment before cracking a smile. "You really are a mother," he said admiringly, mouth now clear.

I pressed my lips tightly together to keep from grinning like an idiot. "So, about Mason having mono...?"

"Well, we have no backup guitar player," Dimitri continued.

I grimaced. "That sucks."

Dimitri nodded. "Which brings me to ask you...will you be the lead guitarist until Mason gets better? It'll be only for the town contest," he hurried to add. "And only until he's good enough to play again. And isn't contagious."

I sighed. "Mono generally isn't contagious," I pointed out.

Dimitri waved that off. "Regardless, he can't play in the concert two weeks from now."

"And you think I can?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

Dimitri shrugged. "I'm sure you can learn the music quick enough. You're good, as far as I remember."

I struggled not to blush under the praise. "Dimitri, the last time I actively practice guitar was...almost five years ago now. After you...left I didn't really want to, then Anatolie came along and I didn't have time," I pointed out.

Dimitri sighed. "Rose, we really need you. There is no one I can think of that can fill in for Mason," he said quietly. "Don't give me an answer tonight, alright? Think about it, let me know tomorrow. Regardless of what we have or had between us, this isn't only for me, but for the town, for the fans, for the band. Please. At least consider it."

I stayed quiet, but gave him a single nod. I would consider it.

"Daddy, Mommy, can we watch Madgascar?" Anatolie asked, breaking the staring contest I hadn't realised I was having with Dimitri.

"Oh, um, sure," I replied, distracted. "Dimitri can you put it on? I'll clear the dishes."

I was slightly disturbed with the complete domesticity of the scene. Me, washing dishes while Dimitri put on a movie for the three of us. I sighed. Thus far, Dimitir hadn't made any moves towards me, but if his plan was to slowly warm me up and get me to go back to him, that plan was sadly working. I fought hard against moments like this, but then I would see my little boy so happy and smiling at his family being back together and I could do nothing but let it happen. As long as Anatolie was happy, I was happy. Even if it meant having cozy nights on the couch watching tv. With Dimitri. Just like before.

I shook the thought off. No, not like before. Now we had a child between us. That wasn't going to change anything between us, hopefully. A few minutes later, Dimitri walked into the kitchen and silently started to rinse off the dishes.

"You know you don't have to help, right?" I said, looking up at Dimitri. He was tall, but not gigantically tall next to my 5'7 frame.

"Yes, but I want to, Roza," He said, smiling at me. That smile wasn't a normal smile, it was a smile that made me knees go weak. Well, all of his smiles did. This one suggested something else, and gasping, I turned my focus on the dish in front of me.

"Well thank you," I answered, still looking anywhere but at him. We finished the dishes in five minutes tops, and I dried my hands turning to leave the room.

I was almost there when Dimitri stopped me by turning me around to face him, leaving about an inch of space between us.

"Yes, Dimitri? Is there something you wanted?" I answered, my voice slightly unsure. _Get it together Rose_, My conscience screamed at me. Dimitri smiled again, it was _that_ smile.

"I just wanted to let you know that it would mean the world to me if you took Mason's place," he murmured, voice husky.

My breath caught. "O-oh," I stuttered. "O-okay."

"Thank you." He stepped forward, so close, I could feel his breath on the crown of my head...then passed me to go into the living room.

I stared, astonished, at the opposite wall. _What just happened_? My frazzled mind couldn't make sense of what happened. I blinked rapidly, trying to gather my thoughts. After several long moments, I finally was able to get ahold of myself enough to go back to the living room. No, I wasn't over Dimitri Belikov, not by a long shot.

After Dimitri left, I sent Anatolie to bed early, settling in for another restless night. My sleep had been plagued with dreams of Dimitri, from the moment he walked back into my life. I had come to the conclusion that the only thing that kept me from falling back into his arms was the memory of his betrayal. I didn't think I could set myself up for such heartbreak again.

_Should I say yes?_ I mused. I really couldn't think of a legitimate reason to say no, in all honesty. I was sure that the tunes that would be played at the concert were those Dimitri had come up with years ago, maybe some new ones, but I knew Dimitri's style. It wouldn't take much to learn them. I sighed. Something told me that if I said yes, I would fall all over again, and this time there would be no turning back.

But the thought of playing music again, feeling the strings at my fingertips, the sound that came from them...I sighed again, this time with yearning. I missed it, I missed it all. I shouldn't have stopped, not even after what occurred. Music had always been apart of me and it still is.

I yearned to play, so getting out of bed, that's exactly what I did. I'd probably be tired for work in the morning but I'd deal with it. Just like I've been dealing with life without Dimitri, which was surprisingly okay. I grabbed my guitar from the side or my dresser and strummed a few strings.

My fingers started to strum a song I hadn't played in a while. It described this situation in very little words. After the melody was done, I started singing. Singing for today, for tomorrow, for everyday.

_Strumming my pain with his fingers,_

_Singing my life with his words,_

_Killing me softly with his song,_

_Killing me softly with his song,_

_Telling my whole life with his words,_

_Killing me softly with his song._

It reminded me of Dimitri's song to me. He told of us in his song, his voice, his fingers, showing a story filled with pain and sorrow and love.

I played the song to its conclusion, surprised to find tears on my cheeks once I put the guitar away. At the same time, I felt freer. Like I had let out pressure building inside of me that I never knew I had. Smiling slightly, I crawled back into bed, deciding to leave the deciding for tomorrow.

_I'll ask Tolya what he thinks tomorrow morning_, was the last thought I had before drifting off.

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A/N:

Thank you to the following people for reviewing: **Vampluver96, PiesandStuff** (Lol, don't worry, he's got us (;), **zytka23** (Um...you'll have to read and see :D (The authors' way of saying i have no idea...xD)), **Mrs. Belikova** (Nah, we would never do that!), **123hereigo456** (thanks(:), **ladora** (Mhm(: She's a mother, she has to be. Lol, actually, it's a good one! You are very correct and make an excellent point :D),** Rose-loves-Dimitri** (Good? :D Thanks! lol), **MTCR'1-MR.2-ID.3-MI.4-VA** (Thanks!),** Fangirlingmajorly** (Thanks! Haha, yeah, he is, and yes there will be! And we're two girls, don't worry!), **My-Inner-Writer-Comes-Out** (Thanks(: And which one are you asking? we both do!),** Cowboy's Lover Dimitri No 1** (Yup(:), **peggy** (Eventually, and we'll see(;), **RozaRocks** (it was, and they will(: Thanks :3), Jennifer (Exactly!)**, XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, bboop12** (aah, that won't happen for a while...Thanks(:),** M** (lol, yes and no xD),** uvMomiji, Victoria Marie Dragomir, twihearts1918, nicole, Guest, Guest** (Sorry!), **AmericanRider2014, and Guest.**


	8. 7: Answers and Cockblockers

_Sorry again for your long wait, but I promise you this chapter will not disappoint. It is one of my favorites! Enjoy. P.S: If you didn't already know this we are two girls, with two separate fanfiction accounts. This one is mine and the other is my co-writers which is Tatiana Belikova. Read and review :D_

**Disclaimer: We do not own VA.**

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DPOV:

I was nervous beyond belief for Rose's answer. I hoped and prayed that she would say yes, but I knew if she said no it would be all my fault. I sighed. I just had to get Rose back. Judging from her reaction in the kitchen, some part of her still wanted me.

Being away from her for so long made me realize that I wouldn't underestimate her. She would try to resist me, but I vowed to not let her go, ever again. I knew I didn't deserve her, but I couldn't let _us_ go, especially not now. I loved her too much to be so selfless as to let her go.

The guys, Abe, and I were all crowded around Mason, Adrian laughing hysterically that Mason had hooked up with someone, it being less than a week since our arrival.

"Guys, why is it so cold in here. Turn up the thermometer!" Mason croaked at us. Abe walked over to where Mason was, lying buried under covers on his bed, and put the backside of his hand on Mason's forehead.

"Ahh, chills and now you're starting to build a fever. Mason I hope you know how irresponsible this was. Especially when you have a concert in a few days," Abe said, his face portraying no emotion whatsoever. Mason wasn't the type to hook up with a random girl, but according to him she was the girl of his dreams. Mia, he said was her name.

Mason groaned and burrowed further into his pillow.

"Mason you're going to get over heated but it's necessary because you need to fight off the oncoming fever," Abe said, Mason groaning about how he was never going to hook up with a girl again. Everyone highly doubted that.

"Abe! How was meeting your daughter?" Ivan asked. Abe smiled, a real, genuine smile.

"She's amazing. She's beautiful, smart, and she has my hair. She has a child, and he's just the cutest grandchild I could have ever asked for," Abe said, glowing with pride.

What he said slowly registered in my mind. His hair and a boy? It couldn't be, could it? I glanced at the time. Rose would be dropping off Anatolie at the preschool right about now. I needed to speak to her, but I had to wait until lunch. I swore under my breath.

"Everything alright?" Abe raised an eyebrow.

I nodded, deciding to question him further. "She has a son? Who's the father?" I asked casually.

Abe glared at nothing. "She won't tell me. He left, though. Mark my words, when I find the bastard, he'll regret ever looking at her." I shivered, I wouldn't want to be the guy that messed with Abe's daughter. Back home Abe had the nickname _zmey_; it meant serpent. "Which reminds me, any luck finding us a guitarist?"

"I have a, um, friend in mind," I replied nervously.

Abe scowled. "You'll be needing more than just a 'friend in mind' to make it through the concert," he snapped.

I sighed. "I know. Let's go practice," I suggested, waving to Mason.

"Bye guys," Mason wheezed.

"See ya, man," the other guys said on the way out.

"Okay guys! Just a few more run throughs and then I've got to go!" I said, sweat beginning to form on my face. We were doing just fine with the music but it wouldn't be the same without Mason. Rose hopefully will accept. I placed the keyboard in front of me, and Ivan began to play.

A knock on the door cut him off. We looked at each other, confused. I shrugged, then strode to the door, yanking it open to reveal...Rose?

Rose smiled at me ruefully. "Hey, Comrade."

Her use of the old nickname made my heart pound excitedly. I fought to keep myself calm. "How are you? Where's Anatolie?"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "At preschool," she said slowly, the 'duh' clear in her voice.

"Oh, right," I chuckled nervously. Being in such close proximity to her was making my head go haywire, my heart pound and my palms sweat. I felt like a teenager on a first date all over again.

We stood in silence for a moment. All my careful cool I usually had around her was shattered into bits. Seeing her here was so unexpected, I didn't know what _to_ expect.

"Are you going to let me in?" Rose asked.

"What? Oh, oh, yeah, right. You're right," I stuttered, stepping back.

"So, I decided that, yes, I am going to play in your band," she announced, walking past me.

"You are? Really? That's awesome!" I cried out, a grin breaking over my face.

Rose smiled up at me sweetly. "I hope you don't mind if Anatolie hangs out after school here?"

"No, no of course not!"

"Rose?" Abe said, surprised.

_Shit_!

"Hey, Dad. How are you?" She took his presence in stride, as if she was expecting it. She couldn't have been, could she?

"What are you doing here?" Abe asked.

"I'm the new guitarist for the band," Rose replied, smiling.

"You are?" Abe raised both eyebrows at me. "I wasn't aware of this. Why is that?"

I rolled my eyes. "You wanted me to find a guitarist? I found a guitarist. And trust me, she's amazing."

Abe was smiling adoringly at Rose. He was so going to kill me when he found out that I was the guy who broke her heart.

"Wait, how do you two know each other?" Abe said, scratching his head. I looked at Rose with wide eyes.

"We went to highschool together," I answered quickly.

Rose smirked. "Yes. We're old..._friends_." I sighed, glad that she didn't tell him of our past. Hopefully before we go on tour, she'd be apart of my future. "Okay, well, let's get started."

Rose pulled the guitar she had slung over her back forward, taking it carefully out of the guitar case. My eyes widened as I realised it was the same guitar that she had back when we were still together. Abe sat back, admirably watching her. I took out sheet music and handed it to Rose. Her brow furrowed in confusion before she sighed.

"You expect me to keep up with this?" Rose said, looking at me. I sighed.

"Rose, I asked you because I know you can. You have no idea how incredibly talented you are, and when we play and sing together, all eyes are on you. So just give this a shot," I said, watching her face transform from confusion to nervous hope.

"Okay let's do this," I said looking back at Ivan. He started to play, and I waited for my cue.

_My mind is a warrior,_

_My heart is a foreigner,_

_My eyes are the colour of red like a sunset,_

_I'll never keep it bottled up and_

_Left to the hands of the coroner,_

_Be a true heart not a follower,_

_We're not done yet._

Rose struggle during the first verse but soon got the rhythm of the song. Abe in front of me smiled adoringly at Rose. He had yet to know her full potential.

_and I see it in your movements tonight,_

_If we should ever do this right,_

_I'm never gonna let you down,_

_Oh I'll never let you down,_

_Now keep it on the down low_

_And I'll keep you around so I'll know_

_That I'll never let you down,_

_I'll never let you down._

_You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down,_

_You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down,_

_Now, my eyes are a river filler,_

_This drink is a liver killer,_

_My chest is a pillow for your weary head to lay to rest again,_

_Your body is my ballpoint pen_

_And your mind is my new best friend,_

_Your eyes are the mirror to take me to the edge again,_

Abe was smiling widely, when Rose started to sing with me. Her voice almost made me stop singing, it was so beautiful and mesmerizing.

_Now I see it in your movements tonight,_

_If we should ever do this right,_

_I'm never gonna let you down,_

_Oh I'll never let you down,_

_We'll keep it on the down low_

_And I'll keep you around so I'll know_

_That I'll never let you down,_

_I'll never let you down,_

_You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down,_

_You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down,_

_Hold my heart to stop me bleeding now, now, now, and I'll never let you down [x4]_

_'Cause You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down,_

_You're strumming on my heartstrings like you were a grade 8 but I've never felt this way,_

_I'll pick your feet up off of the ground and never ever let you down_

By the end of the song, Abe was in tears and Rose was out of breath.

"Sorry, I just really love this song," Rose said, smiling. Ivan and Adrian looked at Rose with wide eyes.

"There's only one girl I know with a voice like that and her name was Rosemarie Hathaway," Adrian said, staring lovingly at Rose. Ivan smacked Adrian in the back of the head.

"She is Rosemarie Hathaway," Ivan said, laughing.

"What he said," Rose said, laughing. Adrian looked at Rose with wide eyes.

"The Rosemarie of freshman year that got those two gerbils to fight in Stan Alto's class?" Adrian said, his mouth wide open.

Rose started to laugh uncontrollably. "The one and only. Wait, do I know you?" Rose said looking at Adrian. "Your eyes, they look familiar. Adrian?"

"No duh," Adrian said, smiling at Rose. Rose quickly walked to Adrian to give him what seemed like the longest hug in the world. I glared at Adrian, only I could hug my Roza. No one else.

"She did not!" Rose burst out laughing, while Anatolie played with her hair.

"She did! She even told him that she was lesbian just to get him off of her back," I told her, stifling in my laughs. Rose started laughing and Anatolie tugged on her hair.

"Mommy! I want my hair to be like Daddy's." Anatolie said, looking at me. Rose moved a Hi-C carton of juice next to Anatolie, who took it eagerly. We were sitting in the park, where I had lost my Roza. I decided that Rose, Anatolie, and I were going to have a picnic after we'd picked up Anatolie from preschool.

I was surprised that Rose agreed to this; I thought she hated me. She probably did. The guilt ate away at me. I had let the fame consume me. I got caught up in those moments that it made me forget all about my beautiful Rose. She was my everything. Seeing her now, she still was.

"Oh my gosh! It's Dimitri! From RAX! I can't believe it's you! You're here," A squeaky voice shrieked behind us. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Mia, go away," Rose said, a smile on her face. The blonde took a seat next to Rose on our blanket, and Anatolie went to sit in her lap.

"Aunt Mia!" Anatolie yelled, hugging her. Rose was smiling; she seemed to do that alot with Anatolie. If only I could get her to smile like that.

The name Mia rang a bell in my mind._ Mia, Mia, where had I heard it before_? It hit me. Mia was the name of the girl who gave Mason mono!

"Mia?" I exclaimed. "Wait, the Mia who slept with Mason?"

The girl blushed as she looked at me. "So?"

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "So you're the reason I have to take Mason's place!" Rose cried out. "And why did I hear nothing of you sleeping with Mason?!"

Mia shrugged. "What do you mean I'm the reason you're taking Mason's place? You're taking Mason's place?" Mia's eyes were huge.

Rose nodded. "Mason has mono," she replied, giving Mia a disapproving look.

Mia gave her an innocent one in return. "I doubt it's from me. I'm perfectly fine. So about you taking his place. Does that mean I get backstage passes and free tickets to the concert?" Mia looked at her hopefully.

Rose sighed, shaking her head with exasperation. "Mia, what am I going to do with you?"

"Take me to meet the band?" Mia suggested pointedly.

Rose chuckled.

She looked so happy and carefree, interacting with her friend. I wanted to do that to her. I wanted to make her smile like that. But seeing how she was settled into her life here, how happy she was without me made me doubt whether I should pursue her or not. After all, wouldn't I just bring trouble to her life? And what about Anatolie? Though I knew she would allow me to know my son, I couldn't imagine putting him in the terrible world of fame. I couldn't stand to expose him to that. However, I also couldn't stand the thought of not being with Roza. I couldn't give up my music; I loved making music almost as much as I loved my family, but I couldn't see how I could have one without losing the other. I knew Rose would never go on tour with me because she wouldn't want to expose Tolya to that world any more than I did. I could come back after my tour, but then, would she wait? Would she ever trust me again?

I tuned back into the conversation at Mia's words.

"Whore alert!"

"Mia Rinaldi!" Rose snapped. "Don't swear in front of my son."

Mia tossed her hair. "I wasn't swearing, I was stating the truth."

I followed her gaze to a tall, black haired woman coming towards us. It took me several moments, but I recognized her as the groupie that ruined everything and made me come to my senses: Tasha.

I swore under my breath.

"Dimitri Belikov!" Rose snapped.

I winced. "Sorry," I replied, not taking my eyes off of Tasha, who was bee-lining straight for us. I stood up. "I'll take care of this," I muttered.

As soon as I was within hearing range, Tasha flung her arms out and called out, "Baby! You're back!"

I glared at her. "I am not your baby," I said through gritted teeth. "Stay away from me and my family."

Tasha's eyes widened. "But-"

"No," I snapped, releasing my full glare on her. "Stay away from me, from Rose, and from my son. If you don't, there will be consequences. Understand?" Tasha nodded, grief filled her face. She glared, but her gaze seemed to go over my shoulder. I turned around.

It was Rose, and she was tearing up slightly.

"Bitch," Tasha said.

Rose smiled, that beautiful smile of hers and replied," Skank."

Tasha stormed away, and Rose unexpectedly hugged me. Realizing what she did, she quickly pulled away and smiled, gesturing to Anatolie, who at the moment was getting pushed on the swings by Mia. It painted a picture of pure happiness.

"Rose!" Abe yelled. Rose jumped, not realizing that she wasn't keeping up with the music.

"What!" She almost shouted. It'd been the third time that he had called her name in the last hour. She seemed to be highly distracted about something, and it made me want to distract her from whatever was bothering her.

"The next rehearsal, you'll need to be more focused," Abe said softly, I'd never heard him speak in that tone. Looking around the room I saw that the other guys were surprised too. I cleared my throat, and the surprised looks went away.

Rose quietly nodded and murmured what sounded like "old man." She put the guitar down and everyone exited the room. She furiously started to look for something, almost tripping over the guitar in the process. I wanted to know what was bothering her so damn much.

Making my way towards her, she didn't acknowledge my presence. She leaned against the window pane.

"Rose?" I said, a non question hanging in the air. She seemed scared. She reminded me of a deer in headlights. Rose made a move towards the door, and I blocked her way by putting my hand on the wall and leaning closer.

"What?" She said, her voice shaking._ Was I making her nervous_? This situation reminded me of our first date; she'd been keeping something away from me. The thought made me chuckle.

"Remember our first date?" I asked, smiling at her confused look.

"Yes. What about it?" She said, smiling. She remembered.

"How I took you ice skating because a little birdy told me that you always wanted to go. How through half of it you were nervous," I asked, her smile seeming to illuminate the room.

"Yes. I remember how much of a coward you were to ask me out again, and how craven I was to kiss you," Rose said, her eyes giving a vibe of sadness. Maybe there was hope for us yet. The guilt still felt heavy in my heart.

"You were the infamous Janine Hathaway's daughter, and I was the one out of a million that got to date you," I said, adoration filling my voice. I still don't know why she chose me, god knows how many guys wanted to have a chance to be with Rose. She'd repeatedly say no.

"I gave you a chance. You were the golden boy in love with his music, and also in love with getting into fights. Reckless I'd say. Those were the days before this fame. This corrupt fame, took away the man that I had loved," Rose said, her voice purely filled with emotion.

She reached out and her hand touched my face, wiping away a tear that I hadn't realized escaped.

"Roza, please I know I fucked up. Just open up to me. I don't like seeing you this distracted, this jumpy," I said, whilst slowly inching closer to her.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Something is wrong with _you_. Don't smile at me like that!" She said, still using the wall to support her.

"Smile like what?" I said, smiling that smile that she once told me made her knees weak. I inched a bit closer to her, leaving about 3 inches between us. Her eyes widened when she realized how much space we had between us. I could feel the warmth radiating off of her.

"Like th-that," she answered, stuttering. I moved ever closer to her, our noses almost touching. I leaned in getting ready to kiss her when someone burst through the door. Rose jumped and moved out of the way.

"Rose, come on!" Vasilisa said, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her out of the room.

"Cock blocker," I said, to an empty room.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thank you for reviewing to the following people: **zytka23** (no, Dimitri wouldn't do that to her, don't worry(:), **Kitty** (Eh, change of plans xD),** M, RoBiNiSmYbOo** (Thank you so much! I've never been there :P I'm glad you're enjoying it. It means so much to us that you think so(:),** bboop12** (Yeah...Janine will survive xD), **peggy** (Tehehe, you'll see (;)**, dhampirs-unite** (Thanks :3), **Rose-loves-Dimitri** (Just a bit xD), **PiesandStuff** (No, we will never give up! It's just a bit difficult :P),** XxKatyBelikov-HathawayxX, RozaRocks** (lol xD Maybe...maybe not (;), **My-Inner-Writer-Comes-Out** (Oh okay xD),** Guest** (Hehe we shall see (;), **RozaNessa** (Haha, almost! But not quite. Darn that Lissa! xD), and** Guest**.


	9. VOTE DIMITRI!

VOTE DIMITRI!

ya-sisterhood . blogspot . co . nz/

There a no spaces in that url, fan fiction just hates urls.

I love Will too, but Richelle has promised that if Dimitri wins, she will do a page of a scene from VA in dimitri's point of view! Vote him please, he's barley losing, he was in the lead and now he's down by a few D:

~LLGF


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